*PICTURED: Robyn Mounsey had four points from play. Photo by Gerard O’Neill
Clareโs involvement in this seasonโs Co-Op Superstores Munster hurling league ended at Pairc Ui Rinn this Sunday afternoon when they went down to Cork by a goal.
Cork 1-24 Clare 0-24
While there will be disappointment at bowing out of the 2024 competition, Clare can be happy at the fact that they got valuable game time into most of the squad in their games against Limerick and Cork last week.
A relatively inexperienced Clare side faced a much more experienced Cork outfit and they matched the Leesiders in many areas in what was a high scoring game.
The gameโs only goal came with just a minute played and this was the difference between the sides at the final whistle.
Clare opened the scoring through the impressive Robyn Mounsey and straight from the resulting puck-out, Cork’s Conor Lehane won possession and he broke through the Clare defense, firing to the net to give Cork a lead they held for all but a minute of the tie.
When Aidan McCarthy, Clareโs top scorer on the day, converted a free in the 23rd minute it levelled the contest at 0-10 to 1-7. Lehane, a key payer for the winners in the opening half, responded with a point and the winners went on to lead by five at half time when the score was 1-16 to 0-14.
Both sides rung the changed in the second half and scores werenโt as plentiful. With ten minutes remaining the winners were seven points clear before Clare hit six unanswered points in the next eight minutes to leave the minimum between the sides with time almost up.
Cork managed the last two scores through Darragh OโFlynn and goalkeeper Brian Saunderson from a long-range free to seal a win they just about deserved on a day when Ciaran Joyce, Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Robbie Cotter impressed for them. For Clare, Conor Cleary, Cathal Malone, Aidan McCarthy and Robyn Mounsey stood out.
Cork; Brian Saunderson (0-1); Ger Mellerick, Robert Downey, Cathal McCarthy; Ciaran Joyce, Tommy OโConnell, Cormac OโBrien; Eoin Carey (0-1), Brian Roche; Sean Twomey, Conor Lehane (1-3), Shane Kingston (0-8); Jack OโConnor (0-1), Brian Hayes (0-1), Robbie Cotter (0-4);
Subs used; Daire OโLeary, Sam Quirke, Darragh OโFlynn (0-3), Declan Dalton, Robbie OโFlynn, Cormac Beausang (0-1), Eoin Roche
Clare; Cian Broderick (Clarecastle); David Tuohy (Clarecastle), Conor Cleary (Miltown St. Josephs), Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge); Oran Cahill (Eire Og), Dylan McMahon(Clonlara), Tadhg Dean (Crusheen); Aidan Moriarty (Clonlara), Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge) 0-1; Stephen Conway (Feakle), Cian Barron (St. Josephs) 0-2, Killian OโConnor (Corofin) 0-1; Gearoid Sheedy (Ogonnelloe), Aidan McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona) (0-13, 10 frees), Robin Mounsey (Ruan) (0-4)
Subs used; Ross Hayes (Crusheen), Conn Smyth (Feakle), Paddy Donnellan (Broadford), Keith Smyth (Killanena) 0-2, Eanna Crimmins (Newmarket), Colm OโMeara (Clonlara) 0-1, Diarmuid Cahill (Corofin), Jack Kirwan (Parteen-Meelick), Keelan Hartigan (Scariff)
Referee; Eamonn Stapleton, Limerick.